I found a Rangematic Distance Finder at a yard sale with on manual does anybody have a copy I could buy Thanks

i have some good advise for using those things. you wont need the manual or card.
just drive onto a bridge get out and drop it into the water. then practice guessing distances.
it will be a far more accurate method.
about 45 years ago i bought the 1000 yd model. after several hours i gave it to a friend who
seemed to have better luck than me with it.
later he dropped it off a bridge which saved me the trouble.

I agree with Longshot378 as to the worth of the Rangematic. If I can find my manual, I'll send you a copy.

Welcome to the forum. I USED to have one of those monstrosities. Never worked worth a darn. The easiest way to set it is go to a driving range or gun range that has yardage markers. Adjust the rangefinder so that the split images match the shown distances. Any low cost laser range finder will beat it though.

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I too used one of those things, back in the late Ploesticene era, when there were no other portable rangefinder alternatives.
Jodum's suggestion on how to calibrate it is a good idea.
As to how well it worked for me, it was maybe better than the naked eye. . . maybe. . . once in a while. . . . if everything lined up right, and said your prayers and been good that day. Most of the time, not. The cheapest, worst laser rangefinder is 10,000% better.
Unfortunately, those rangefinders are too light to make good canoe anchors.

Welcome to the site Pittbull, glad you joined us!

I have one too. Never could get it to work well enough in the field to trust it. Think mine has a manual with it but my suggestion is the same as the others that posted here.... deep six it and buy a laser range finder.

ps. if you want the rangefinder, case and manual just pay the shipping and I'll give it to you.

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I used one at the end of the late 1900's, i hated it. I bought a laser rangefinder as soon as they became affordable and that goofball thing got tossed in the trash.

Thanks for the info bought a bushnell 450

it all depends on your needs or even if there is a need. there are other options to a rangefinder even for long range hunters.
most of us run the gauntlet however on the process of elimination.

Guess I'm curious what the options are other than a range finder. I figure I'm pretty good at range estimation but can be fooled easily depending on light and whether the target is higher or lower than I am.

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first off it depends on the hunter and how he chooses to hunt. by that i mean is he moving about while looking for a long range oppurtunity. many western hunters use this method. the
other method would be from a stationary location where the surrounding area can be watched. most eastern hunters use this method as usually thats the only way it can be done there.
assuming the latter method is used regardless of location a range card can easily be made. it requires an educated guess as to the distance, then actual shooting at the rock,
tree stump or whatever has been chosen. simply write down the required scope change and
repeat that on different targets untill you have enough information for that location.
of coarse the time to do all this is in the off season. its also fun and very good practice.
weve done the same thing years back with our large military coincidence rangefinder.
its too big and bulky to pack in on every trip to some of our locations. so we made range cards using the rangefinder and confirming data with actual shooting. which is always best to do anyway. its a once and done situation for that specific location.
it worked well enough for me to take my only pa black bear. first round hit at 700 yds which
put enough hurt on him to allow for a follow up finishing shot. i was 70 at the time and had
heart surgery 7 months prior. needless to say i didnt drag it out.
alaska man would be pleased to know i was using a 7x300 weatherby. but probably not pleased i was also using an inferior bullet.
now based on this information am i reccomending not having or using a rangefinder?
no im not as it is a valuable tool to own. but it can be done without one very affectivly.
i consider most of the lazer rangefinders on the market today as being unreliable.
that includes my own swarovski. apperently several of the very pricey models such as the vectrinix are the exception.

as for the uphill/downhill angles thats a different subject entirly.
a 1000 yd distance at a 25 deg angle needs to have cousine input before dialing the scope
for the shot. the required elevation change would be considerably less than required
for a flat 1000yd shot.

Thanks for the reply Longshot. In this area I hunt a lot of prairie with rolling hills. Most of my hunting is spot and stalk so it would be difficult to predict with any certainty what the range will be.

I've read about estimating the range based on the animal size compared to the crosshairs in the scope. I find it easier to pack a laser rangefinder and know what the holdover is for ranges I normally shoot.

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ive hunted in n wyoming and s e montana several times monty so i know what your talking about. n c pa has very steep hills close together so its a far different situation. its almost as though your shooting at a wall. its easy to spot hits and know exactly what correction might be needed. of coarse the west has many such places also and its those id be looking for.
there are no doubt some close to where you live. its just a matter of tuning in to them as you ride around.

There is two deer seasons in western SD. There's a season for prairie deer and and another for hills deer. Hunting deer in the Black Hills I use totally different techniques than when on the prairie. So ranging certain features of the landscape could be useful.

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In my view, basically, if you need a range finder ,and not using a bow, you are NOT hunting.

I would consent bow hunters are top of the food chain far as hunting goes.

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were all entitled to our views arent we?

So, Sus, bowhunters, with rangefinder, are 'hunters', where knowledge of range is imperative due to a rainbow arrow trajectory, but rifle hunters with a rangefinder maybe shooting past 300 yards, where knowledge of range is imperative, are not 'hunters'?

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Shawn I do think I said "you are NOT hunting". I did not say you were not hunters. Anyone who finds they have to shoot at an animal over 300yrds is not using the inate ability man has to hunt and get close to his/her prey. I have shot a pronghorn at 490 odd yards , but to be honest did not consider I was hunting that animal, I would have enjoyed it more if my guide had allowed me to try and get closer. If the pronghorn spotted me , thats life. If I had managed to get closer, much closer then there would have been a buzz. Just killing things at long range does not switch me on. I have great admiration for bow hunters and have learned a lot about field craft from a number of them. I hope we can amicably beg to differ.

One could say the same about shooting "driven pheasants", shooting from a high tower, or using a guide to help access and "hunt" unfamiliar game or in unfamiliar places.